Miyamoto took NSMB DS criticism "hard"

By Tom Bramwell Published 16 December, 2009

Plus lots more from the latest Iwata Asks.

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and his colleagues were dismayed when the original New Super Mario Bros. DS game was criticised for being too easy.

That's according to the latest instalment of Iwata Asks, for which Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is joined by Miyamoto's closest collaborators, EAD general manager Takashi Tezuka and SRD president Toshihiko Nakago.

"I imagine the three of you probably took it quite hard when some people said that the DS version was a little too easy. Miyamoto-san in particular," Iwata suggested during a discussion about difficulty in the Mario series.

"I think that was particularly true of Miyamoto-san," Nakago agreed. "So this time we've got a difficulty level the player can enjoy. I'd really like people to experience this for themselves. There are times when you'll think: 'This game's a pretty tough nut to crack!'"

Perhaps fearing they had overcompensated, the trio were careful to implement New Super Mario Bros. Wii's excellent Super Guide system and Hint Movies, which include some awesome recordings of Mario Club testers.

"Sometimes they're so good that you'll find yourself laughing out loud!" Tezuka explained. "It is really tricky to record these videos though. For that reason, some members of the team would request that we let them correct things manually. But I had to put my foot down. If it's not all done by a human player, you'll lose that essential realism."

Tezuka also encouraged players to replay levels in NSMB Wii. "I'm approaching 50 and I can get right to the end, so I think if you play through the levels enough times, you'll be able to discover a whole new side to Mario."

Plus, it turns out Iwata has a dream. "I'd like to add something, if I may," he said.

"A hugely appealing part of the Super Mario Bros. franchise titles are that they can be enjoyed by both the person playing as well as by the people watching. I think of that as a kind of tradition that has been upheld ever since the very first Super Mario Bros. title. Now with this game, anyone who is watching can simply pick up a Wii remote and join in.

"That's why I'd say that you should start off by watching the game. Then, if you think it looks interesting, go ahead and join in. Even if you've never played a Mario game before and you try the single-player mode, while it may be a little tricky at first, there are plenty of features included in the game that will help you to make progress.

"I think lots of people who never thought they would have anything to do with a Mario game will become absorbed in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and, because of this, both people who had never played Mario before and players who have long enjoyed it will now have a shared interest. In addition, skilled gamers will be able to play alongside players who are not so skilled. That's my dream."

Other highlights from this instalment include the revelation that Tezuka - head of software planning - hadn't even heard of Pac-Man when he joined Nintendo in 1984, recollections that Miyamoto only allowed the original NES Super Mario Bros. team three hours' celebration before they got back to work on Zelda.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (31) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • smelly #1 2 years ago

    Okay Mr Miyamoto.. I loved the wii version and have all the coins on the first 8 worlds now (not the 9th world yet). Taken me over 30 hours to get this far without watching hint videos.. so gotten my moneys worth easily!

    - but why does the game start off so hard - and get so easy come world 4 onwards?
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/09 @ 09:21

  • 52pickup #2 2 years ago

    I find the NSMB Wii quite challenging, and that's coming from a seasoned Mario player, or maybe i'm just getting too old. I enjoyed NSMB on DS too, both are brilliant Mario titles.

  • gnrlstuart #3 2 years ago

    i refuse to play a games console without an hdmi port. now thumbs me down.

  • mostly_harmless #4 2 years ago

    You mean people with emotional responses make games and not just faceless corporations?

    You'll be telling me there are human beings at Microsoft next!

  • Stupid_Fat_Hobbit #5 2 years ago

    Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised by the difficulty of NSMB Wii, after finding the DS one a bit too easy.

    Also, a lot of the "hint" videos aren't really hints so much as ludicrous showing-off. Check out the one for world 1-3, for example.

  • kangarootoo #6 2 years ago

    "now thumbs me down."

    How about I ignore instead.

  • matrim83 #7 2 years ago

    I thought the DS NSMB was pretty tough, esp later on.

    Maybe I just suck. :(

  • trip919 #8 2 years ago

    Too easy, completed it with my eyes closed! (never played it)

  • budgietheii #9 2 years ago

    "i refuse to play a games console without an hdmi port"

    Didn't play the 360 for the first three-odd years then?

  • Santino #10 2 years ago

    i do enjoy reading these iwata asks articles, always interesting to get insight into how these games are developed. Who would have thought the goomba was the last enemy made for smb?

  • AliRay #11 2 years ago

    "Even if you've never played a Mario game before... consider what the fuck you've been doing for the last 20 years or so"

  • jellyBelly #12 2 years ago

    NSMB Wii has quite a well balanced difficulty curve, just on the right side of challenging .

    Not a big fan of the save system though. Why cant it just save every level you clear?
    Mind this isnt as big a problem as it would be in another game as Mario levels ususally retain their fun after many playthroughs
    Edited by 2 at 16/12/09 @ 10:12

  • Tomo #13 2 years ago

    Does Iwata want to move into games journalism or something?!

    They probably shouldn't work... bigwigs interviewing each other should be a minefield or corporate buzzwords and such, but these work really well.

  • axman303 #14 2 years ago

    And the new Wii one is perhaps a tad too hard and unforgiving? I know that I've been tempted to throw the Wii-Mote through the screen a few times. It's certainly too hard for your mum to play, which - hillariously - is how they advertise it on TV.

  • Stompy #15 2 years ago

    "It's certainly too hard for your mum to play, which - hillariously - is how they advertise it on TV. "

    While your average mom might not manage to complete the whole game (although some moms certainly wil be able to), anyone can get stuck into some multiplayer.

    So the adverts are NOT lying.

  • Caimbeul #16 2 years ago

    I thought the DS game was well balanced. No complaints here!

  • lemonfist #17 2 years ago

    Sure, and Modern Warfare 2 is a remake of Modern Warfare.

    But seriously, just play the games you like and stop bitching about games that you don't even intend to play.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/09 @ 11:31

  • TonyHarrison #18 2 years ago

    It never ceases to amaze me how people who have no intention of ever touching a Mario game have to tell those of us that love Mario games that we shouldn't be playing them for whatever batsh*t insane reason they've cooked up in their head.

    Wtf has it got to do with them if we enjoy it?

  • malexous #19 2 years ago

    So what original games have Microsoft released this year?

    The only one I can think of (I don't pay attention to Xbox releases) is Halo Wars and that isn't even a new I.P.

  • Ace_McCloud #20 2 years ago

    Those hint videos are all done by real people? Colour me impressed and in a shade that shows new respect for this title.

  • Bander #21 2 years ago

    "A hugely appealing part of the Super Mario Bros. franchise titles are that they can be enjoyed by both the person playing as well as by the people watching."

    Wow, another Nintendo innovation! Maybe Iwata will fulfill his dream by inventing spectator sport. Or arcade games.

  • jimboton #22 2 years ago

    It would have been nice to be able to upload your own runs a la trials HD. That way I'm sure we'd end up seeing really amazing, unlikely, truly wtf things being done.

    'And the new Wii one is perhaps a tad too hard and unforgiving?'

    Come on, how can a game that gets you past the level if you become stuck be unforgiving?

  • Ceatlan #23 2 years ago

    I just wish they'd scrap the crappy save system and just let it save automatically after each level. Why do I have to keep doing levels I've completed already just to get to the level I'm currently stuck on ? Its an archaic left over that from old games that nearly everybody else has dropped. I've given up on this game for that very reason. I can only play game in short spells due to other commitments in my life, so wasting time doing stuff I've already done is something I just can't be bothered to do any more.

  • Santino #24 2 years ago

    you do know you can save it at any point on the map right? its called quick save; it creates a balloon and then puts you back to the main menu until u load the save again you start back as u were, how could you have missed this playing through the game?

  • malexous #25 2 years ago

    "I wonder how many people marking posts down for daring to not like a Wii game"

    I don't see any comments in negative land (in this comment section) that don't deserve to be.

    Edit: How ironic. My other comment is in negative land again.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/09 @ 17:28

  • smelly #26 2 years ago

    "I wonder how many people marking posts down for daring to not like a Wii game"

    Not a single person who has had negative scores has even f-ing played the game.. They've just come into the thread to troll and tell us how much their chosen machine is better.. and mario must suck because it's a 2d platformer - and 2d platformers MUST be bad because 99% of all games released nowadays are carbon copy fps games.

  • itsfuzzy #27 2 years ago

    Is it just me?
    I never heard anyone who played NSMB DS give out about it.
    This criticism is all new to me.

  • smelly #28 2 years ago

    Well personally i moaned the ds game was too easy!

    Actually my other complaint with the wii version.. i've completed all 8 worlds, with all teh coins on each level.. and have only used mini mario once!

    Talk about pointless?

  • robson_wii #29 2 years ago

    NSMBWii may be a rehash but I've not played any of the 2D originals so for me it is like a breath of fresh air. I used to play 2d platformers between the ages of 10 and 15 (many years ago) but then got into PC games for a long time.

    I like that a new generation of gamer can experience a different style of game. Maybe it will alter their perception as what good games can be.

  • Nikanoru #30 2 years ago

    I really have to LOL at all the idiots who were slagging off the super guide, which turned out to be the very thing that made the game better.

  • sheet1 #31 2 years ago

    You mean people with emotional responses make games and not just faceless corporations? http://www.bagonhand.com/